


About You Now

by khaleecia



Series: AoKaga Month [5]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alcohol, Angsty Kagami, AoKaga Month, Implied Kuroko Tetsuya/Momoi Satsuki, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-08 22:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7775443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleecia/pseuds/khaleecia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What,” he didn't bother to hide the sleepiness in his voice and it was croaky when he answered the call. He had collapsed in his bed after he had gotten out of his night class and he wasn't sure how long ago that was. </p><p>“What are you doing? I got another shitty grade on a midterm and I need a drink.”</p><p>Rubbing his eyes for a second as he pulled the phone from his face, he checked to see who was propositioning him for a night of drinking. Ah, it was Kagami. </p><p>---</p><p>What started as a night of potentially fun drinking with Kagami turns into Aomine accepting Kagami’s drunken request for a tutor. Aomine has no idea how accepting that request will change things for them both. </p><p>---</p><p>For AoKaga month, day 13 (music) & day 14 (taste)!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Call for Help

**Author's Note:**

> My immediate thought when reading music was a club and when reading taste I thought of the taste of whiskey (idek why I hate whiskey). I couldn't imagine these two boys at a club so I changed the setting to a bar. I don't know what happened after that. I kinda want to continue this? Anyway, hope you like it!

Aomine’s arms were around the person he loved and he felt pure bliss. There were short red strands between his fingers as he stroked the person’s hair and a muscular chest was pressed against his side. This moment could have gone on forever and he would have been completely content if he never moved again. He felt incredible joy at being with this person but he couldn't recognize the face in his sleepy stupor. But the phone was ringing. It was taking him out of the moment. 

Aomine was dreaming and the ringing was succeeding in waking him up from such an unusual dream. Not thinking himself a romantic person, the dream had taken him by surprise. But as all dreams do are wont to do, it started to fade quickly as the realization that his cell phone was still ringing began to occupy his attention. 

“What,” he didn't bother to hide the sleepiness in his voice and it was croaky when he answered the call. He had collapsed in his bed after he had gotten out of his night class and he wasn't sure how long ago that was. 

“What are you doing? I got another shitty grade on a midterm and I need a drink.”

Rubbing his eyes for a second as he pulled the phone from his face, he checked to see who was propositioning him for a night of drinking. Ah, it was Kagami. “Why? Where are all your friends?” He yawned loudly and wasn't sure if he felt like getting out of bed for someone with whom he frequently clashed with. After they graduated from their respective high schools, they somehow wound up going to the same university through the same scholarship, so even if their classes didn't overlap too much, they still managed to cross paths fairly often. This was especially true since they were both starters on the basketball team.

“Aomine,” Kagami's voice sounded strained. “I can't… Nevermind I'll see you around.”

“Wait, wait. I'll go.” Hearing Kagami sound distressed was odd and despite them not being friends, Tetsu was a mutual friend and Tetsu would scold Aomine if he turned Kagami away right now. He hated seeing Tetsu’s eyes when they were like that. He yawned. “Where do you want to meet?” 

Twenty minutes later, he found himself at a bar that was a ten minute walk from his apartment and sitting across from an upset redhead at a small table near the back of the establishment. He wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into. 

They both ordered a Jack and Coke and were awkwardly silent as they waited for their drinks. Was it really that bad to see Tetsu when he was mad? He was weighing that against sitting with Kagami right now. 

Settling his chin on a fist, he observed the man sitting across from him. Kagami’s jaw was tight and he was looking outside, but it didn't seem as if he was really seeing anything. That failed test must have really messed with him. The thought was reinforced when their drinks arrived and Kagami downed his in a few quick gulps and immediately ordered another one before the server could leave. Aomine’s eyebrows shot up when the server left. 

“You gonna bore me with your silence or are you gonna tell me why you invited me, of all people, to come out.” Aomine’s words were slightly apathetic. He was a concerned third party, but he didn't want to put in too much effort to figure out what issue there was. He already missed his bed. 

Kagami's head dropped into his hands and he groaned. “I messed up, Aomine.” 

He really didn't know what he had gotten himself into. 

“With that test? Isn't it fine as long as your overall grade is passing?” This didn't seem like it was a big deal. He wasn't understanding why Kagami was being so melodramatic. The server came back with Kagami's second drink and Aomine drank some of his own. He tasted the smooth, sweet taste of the drink on his tongue as he swallowed. 

“I'm on my last warning,” he groaned. “I'm not good at academics, Kuroko helps me study but he's been so busy this year and I haven't figured it out yet.” He lifted his face from his hands and his eyes pierced Aomine's. He knew that Tetsu had helped him last year during their first year of university, but he also knew that Tetsu was busy with a new internship and a heavier workload. “I don't know what to do.” 

“Have you told him? Or looked for someone else to help you?” He eyed Kagami's drink as he brought it up to his lips and left only ice in the cup when he brought it back down. Aomine was annoyed that Kagami was complaining to him when it seemed like there was such a simple solution. Find a tutor. 

“I can't. He thinks I'm okay. I can't disappoint him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in anguish as he said his next words. “I need your help.”

“Hah?” Did he hear correctly? Kagami was asking him for help? It seemed that the server was reading Kagami’s mind because she had brought another Jack and Coke over. Aomine was still on his first drink. “What makes you think I can help you?” 

“Because,” Kagami seemed to be getting irritated, “everything you do is so effortless. You just get things.” He sucked down his third drink and pushed the cup towards the edge of the table. “I hate that I have to ask you. But here I am. I need you.”

Flashes of Aomine's dream flickered across his mind. Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion, he had no idea why that dream would decide to make an appearance right now. He had completely forgotten it but it came back vividly right now, bringing along with it the relaxed joy he had felt. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. 

“I dun wanted to ass you. But I hafta,” Kagami's eyes were pleading and unfocused. 

Maybe seeing Kagami so upset and unlike himself along with the memory of that dream affected his decision making skills, because he elected to help Kagami with his classes. Despite being on the same team, he didn't want to lose him as a rival and so he would help him keep his scholarship by helping him with his bad grades.

“Alright. I'll help you. But you have to slow it on the drinking.” Aomine was willing to help if it meant he could still play basketball with Kagami, but he was unwilling to babysit a drunk Kagami. 

“Fine, fine. Imma pee.” Kagami stood up and swayed on his feet for a moment. The idiot had been drinking way too fast and it seemed that within a few moments, the effects of the alcohol hit him all at once. Aomine watched as he carefully walked to the bathroom. 

Tapping his fingers on the table, he started to think about what he had just committed to. He didn't even know how bad Kagami was doing in his classes or even how many classes he was failing. He took another gulp of his drink and realized that he would have to spend a lot of time with Kagami; he was already dreading the amount of effort he would have to put in. Why did his brain have to remind him of that dream at that moment and affect his decision? 

A clatter to his right brought him out of his reverie. A few seconds later, he heard “Back off, stupid!” and he quickly swiveled his head as he recognized the voice. What the hell was Kagami doing!?

The front of Kagami's shirt was wet, and so was the shirt of another man who looked incredibly angry. It seemed that Kagami’s unsteady steps had directed him into the path of another drunken idiot. “You dropped my fuckin’ drink! You better get me another one!” The man grabbed a fistful of Kagami’s shirt and Aomine watched Kagami’s eyes darken as brought his arm back in preparation for a punch. 

Aomine usually only moved quickly in a game, but he utilized that agility to jump out of his seat and launch himself across to grab Kagami's arm. He fished in his pocket for money and shoved two 1,000 yen bills at the angry man and dropped a few more at their table as he dragged Kagami away and out of the bar. 

“You shoulda lemme!” Kagami’s voice was furious when they finally made it outside. 

“You're drunk! And that was stupid!” And it was stupid that Aomine was forced to babysit Kagami. He should've said something sooner about the rate at which Kagami was consuming his drinks because now he had a pissed off, bumbling buffoon at his side. 

“Well it fits!” The words were scathing as they left Kagami’s lips. He had never seen Kagami so angry, not during any match throughout their history and definitely never like that outside of the court. 

“You’re not making sense!” Aomine threw his other hand up in annoyance and fastened his grip on Kagami’s arm as he attempted to swing it away. 

“‘Cause I'm stupid okay!” By freezing when he heard those words, Kagami succeeded in ripping his arm away from Aomine's grip. The Kagami that Aomine was seeing tonight was so different from the Kagami that he had come to know. This whole evening turned out to be a series of events where Aomine felt lost and had no idea what to do. Kagami collapsed on the curb and leaned against a street light. “I’ve always been stupid.” He sounded defeated and tired.

“Kagami,” Aomine began. He found himself in the unusual position of wanting to comfort his rival but he wasn't sure what he could say to achieve that goal. “Let's get you home.” He reached out to touch Kagami's shoulder. 

Soft snoring reached his ears. Aomine blinked for a few seconds as he registered what that sound meant. Kagami was sleeping? He couldn't believe that Kagami had fallen asleep on the sidewalk after being so upset not even a few minutes ago. Poking at his shoulder, he hissed, “Oi. Bakagami. Wake up, you can't sleep here!”

Kagami grumbled sleepily and Aomine groaned as he face palmed. He was going to have to guide him home. “C’mon, you giant assface.” Grabbing the giant redhead under his arms, he hoisted him up and threw Kagami’s arm around his own shoulders and his hand gripped him tightly around the wrist to keep Kagami balanced as he leaned his entire body weight on Aomine. He wrapped an arm around Kagami's waist when he felt him start to slide. “Where do you live?” he prodded. 

“Whuzzat?” Kagami mumbled almost unintelligibly, lifting his head slightly. He couldn’t lift his head far enough so he was staring at Aomine’s chest. 

“Where. Do. You. Live?” Aomine enunciated his words clearly and slowly. 

“Is there.” Kagami threw an arm up haphazardly and pointed vaguely to the left. His arm continued to swing and he also pointed forward. “Here,” he mumbled. 

Closing his eyes with frustration, Aomine was sure he wasn't going to get a straight answer from him. He had known from Tetsu that Kagami didn't drink much, so when he did drink, alcohol considerably affected him. That combined with the fact that he had three drinks within half an hour had gotten Kagami past the point of being drunk. He was completely wasted. 

Aomine breathed hard through his nostrils as he let go of Kagami’s wrist to pull out his phone. He dialed Tetsu’s number and waited as the line rang. It continued to ring for a minute before Tetsu’s polite voice asked for the caller to leave him a voicemail. He jabbed at the end call button and shoved the phone back in his pocket to grab the wrist dangling on him again. 

“Fuck,” he decided he would have to take Kagami to his own place to sober up. The ten minute walk took almost three times as long since his walking partner was completely uncooperative and had become nearly dead weight in his drunken stupor. When he had finally made it back to his apartment door and managed to turn the key despite the weight of the man pushing against him, they both stumbled in. Aomine was able to keep their balance and then guided him to the living room where he finally let go and allowed Kagami to sink onto the cushions. His head lolled back and flashes of warnings went through Aomine's mind. 

Drunk people shouldn't be left in that position. If they vomited, they could choke and die. Kagami was definitely drunk so Aomine pushed at his shoulder until Kagami tumbled over and the side of his face was smashed against the cushion. 

Satisfied that he'd be okay, he went to his kitchen to fill up a glass of water. As he set down the glass on the coffee table Satsuki had picked out for him, he didn't know what possessed him but he couldn't help himself. Maybe the one drink that he had lowered his inhibitions just enough so that when his mind said _what the fuck_ his hand kept going. He gently ran his fingers through Kagami's hair. It was soft. Seeing the red hair between his fingers made his breath hitch as he again remembered that dream from earlier. 

He snatched his hand away as it finally dawned on him that he was caressing Kagami's hair. A little disturbed with himself, he turned on his heel and returned to the entryway to remove his shoes before rushing past the living room and into his bedroom. He could hear Kagami snoring. He was not looking forward to dealing with a hungover Kagami tomorrow, but he couldn’t just leave him alone now that he had heard why Kagami was so upset. 

He had promised to help him, so that’s what he was going to do.


	2. Study Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine wakes up to find a hungover Kagami and they agree to start studying the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to continue this, I felt like Aomine and Kagami deserved more than the one chapter, so here we go! I'm thinking 6ish chapters? I have a rough idea for how things will go. I'm open for constructive criticism and feedback :)
> 
> Also, forgive me for basing their university experience off my own American experience, it’s weirdly hard for me to research Japanese universities properly without knowledge of the language. Also I made my tumblr sideblog be more knb so follow me on there if you like :) kichouken

Loud groaning reached Aomine's ears. Confusion spread throughout his mind as he grabbed his phone to check the time. It was 6:32 in the morning and clarity began to replace that confusion. Late last night, Kagami had woken him to go drinking and they didn't even last very long because Kagami got wasted almost as soon as they got to the bar. Aomine had dragged Kagami to his own place when he couldn't get a coherent answer from Kagami and they had arrived around 11:30. He remembered now.

Another painful sounding groan came from the living room. Aomine sat on the edge of his bed and sleepily rubbed his face before heading out to the giant lump of hungover man sitting on the couch. They made eye contact as Kagami was looking around the room trying to figure out where he was. “Aomine?”

“Good morning princess,” Aomine responded through a yawn, a hand reaching under his shirt to scratch his chest. “Feel like shit?”

“Why are you here?” Kagami's voice was hoarse. Aomine glanced at the coffee table to see that the glass of water was full. It seemed that Bakagami lived up to his name. Immediately feeling bad considering Kagami’s words from last night, he opted to be a little nicer than his original reaction.

“You're in my living room.” That didn't seem to clear Kagami's muddled thoughts, since he just continued to stare at the blue-haired man. “Do you remember the bar last night? You got messed up.” He leaned against the door frame, it was much too early to deal with this.

“I was? I remember drinking with you but then I don't remember anything after my first drink.” Kagami ran a hand through his hair and he finally noticed the glass of water. He immediately downed it.

“You suck at drinking,” he yawned then casually lied, “and you tried to kiss me.”

Eyes widened and Kagami froze as his ears turned red. “I- shit. I'm s-”

“Kidding.” Aomine thought it was a little odd that Kagami didn't automatically deny that he would ever try to do that. He wanted a dramatic reaction from Kagami as entertainment since he was woken up so early, but Kagami’s hangover was probably affecting his response. They were both completely awake and Aomine didn't think he could go back to sleep as his stomach gurgled. He definitely didn't have dinner last night between passing out after class and going out with Kagami. “You can stay for a while, I'll make some food.”

Kagami seemed incredulous but he didn't decline the offer so Aomine went to his kitchen and pulled out a carton of eggs and a pack of bacon. The few times he would make breakfast before leaving home instead of buying bread and coffee at the convenience store, he tended toward western style food because it was less effort. He set out two pans and fried the bacon in one while scrambling the eggs in the other. He wasn't used to cooking such a large amount of food, so the bacon was a little too crispy and the eggs a little dry.

Grumbling while plating the food, he then walked out to where Kagami was sitting with his head in his hands. “It hurts. And it smells burnt.”

“You don’t have to eat it! More for me then,” Aomine put both plates on one side of the coffee table then went to go get some water and aspirin for Kagami.

“No! It’s fine!” Kagami reached toward a plate and began to shovel some food in his mouth. “It's not that bad!”

Huffing as he reached to begin eating his own food, Aomine decided not to respond to Kagami.

When they had finished eating, Kagami looked decidedly better than before. His face was a little brighter and with his hair sticking up all over the place and that goofy grin at Aomine, he looked like a kid. “Thanks for the food. I’ll make it up to you, I’ll cook something for you sometime.”

Having seen the food that Kagami had taken to basketball practice, his mouth started to salivate a bit. Not wanting to seem too eager to eat another guy’s food, he responded, “Hah? I don't know if I want some of your shitty cooking.” Aomine leaned back into the cushions of the couch. “How much of last night do you remember anyway?”

“I’m not a shitty cook! And,” Kagami paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, “I had a drink with you and it gets fuzzy after that. I probably had a second drink?”

“You had three. In a row. And you asked me for help with your crappy grades. How bad are they?” This was apparently the reason Kagami had asked Aomine out the previous night, so he had to see what he had gotten himself into.

Kagami squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away. “I asked you for help?” He sighed and opened his eyes back up, but he still didn’t turn toward Aomine. “I mean. It’s not that bad, I’m barely passing most of my classes. But still passing! I have two that give me a lot of trouble.”

“Which ones?” Aomine furrowed his brows. Barely passing wasn’t that great, but maybe they should focus on one class for now, since he didn’t know how much work it would be to help with just one class.

“Math,” Kagami muttered.

“Alright fine. I’m doing okay in that class.” Aomine liked that math followed a certain logic, so it was easier for him to get it when he actually studied. “What’s the other one?”

Kagami mumbled something too quiet to hear.

“Hah?” Leaning forward to better listen to what Kagami was trying to say, he cupped his ear in an exaggerated manner.

“English.”

Aomine’s expression slackened and he rolled his eyes. In a flat tone he said, “Kagami. You lived in America.”

“I know! But it’s hard and Kuroko is really good at helping me! I’m pretty close to passing with that one, so I think I can manage it.” Kagami finally turned to look at Aomine, his face decidedly firm. He reached a hand out as if to grab something but instead he let it drop in the space between them. “I know I suck at school okay.” The same defeated and tired expression from last night permeated those words and Aomine felt his annoyance start to recede. He did think that Kagami was stupid but he didn’t want Kagami thinking that too.

“Tomorrow,” was all that Aomine said. He picked up the two plates and took them to the kitchen. Dropping them in the sink, he said over his shoulder, “I’m going back to sleep. Do whatever you want.” He saw Kagami give a big yawn on his way back to his room and he let himself drop on his bed face down.

Hours later when he awoke again, he found an empty but sparkling clean kitchen. He felt a faint pang of disappointment but was unsure of the cause.

* * *

Aomine was on his way to Kagami’s place the following day with his backpack, a bag of food, and a slight spring in his step. They had agreed upon a time in the afternoon and Kagami had texted Aomine his address in order for them to begin their studying. After double checking his phone to see if he was in the right place, Aomine knocked on the apartment door in front of him.

Answering the door clad in only basketball shorts, Kagami gave a small smile when he saw who it was. Aomine’s eyebrows twitched as his eyes flickered down the view Kagami was providing. “You coming in?”

Averting his eyes, Aomine quickly walked past Kagami to set his bag down on the kitchen table. Kagami was pulling a shirt on when Aomine turned to ask him, “Alright, where’s your homework?”

After retrieving his bag from his room, Kagami sat down next to Aomine and pulled out a notebook along with some writing utensils. He opened it up to a page near the middle and Aomine noticed that Kagami’s large writing was actually quite neat and that his notes were well organized. Aomine had brought his own notes too, but his writing was small and hard to read. They probably wouldn't need to use his notes when Kagami's were much neater. Kagami pointed to a section and grumbled, “This is where I started to get lost.”

Noticing that the material Kagami was on looked too familiar, Aomine questioned, “Weren’t we in this class together last semester?”

Kagami’s ears turned hot. “I failed it. Are you gonna help me or not?” He was being defensive and Aomine remembered Kagami’s words so he didn’t push it any further.

Pulling the textbook near him, he flipped to the right chapter and quickly looked over it to refresh his memory. He grabbed a piece of blank paper and began explaining the example problems to Kagami, trying his best to be as clear as possible. “Alright, here you try this one.” Aomine wrote down one of the practice problems and watched as Kagami worked it out. “Yeah, no wait, think about what I said. Yeah move that over there.” He guided Kagami through it and when he finished it with the right answer, Aomine reached into the bag he brought and tossed him a burger.

Confusion flickered across Kagami’s face when he dropped his pencil to catch it. “Wha…?”

“For every few questions you get right, you get a burger.” Aomine shrugged. “I thought it’d be good motivation.” Kagami grinned and Aomine muttered, “But I'm not buying fifteen burgers every time though so don't get used to it.” Kagami was still beaming at him as he chewed his burger and Aomine felt his cheeks begin to heat up. He was going to have to ask Kagami to turn on the fan if he kept getting hot.

They continued through the afternoon, alternating between Aomine explaining different concepts and Kagami working out problems. It sometimes took Kagami a few tries to get a question done correctly but Aomine watched over him to check his progress.

Leaning his cheek into his palm, Kagami was gazing at Aomine during an explanation of functions. “You know, it doesn't seem so bad when you're explaining it.”

“I dunno. This stuff just makes sense to me,” Aomine noticed Kagami's eyes were still fixed on him so he stared back in a challenge. He wasn't sure what he was competing for but if it was against Kagami, he didn't want to lose. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched his arms above him and rolled his shoulders after he brought them back down, without breaking eye contact.

Kagami cleared his throat. “I think we've done a lot today, we can pick it back up next time.”

Aomine raised an eyebrow at Kagami's words. _Next time_. “Yeah let's end it here for now, I'm tired.”

“Let me make you dinner. As thanks.”

He couldn't deny to himself that he had been wanting to try Kagami's cooking for a while so when he got that offer, he was glad. However, he didn't want Kagami to know how much he was looking forward to his seemingly delicious food so he made a show of checking his phone for the time and yawned before answering. “Better be good.” He moved to sprawl himself across Kagami's couch and closed his eyes. A short nap sounded like a nice idea.

A while later, Aomine was awoken by the savory aroma of Kagami's cooking and the sound of sizzling. He stretched while wandering into the kitchen and looked over Kagami's shoulder. “What'd you make, Bakagami?”

Between stirring a pot, mixing a bowl, and flipping something on a pan, he didn't notice when Aomine padded up to him and gave a slight jump at Aomine's voice. “You're finally awake, good. I'm almost done. We're having rice, miso soup with tofu, scallions, and seaweed, pickled cabbage and cucumber, pan-fried salmon, and boiled spinach.”

Aomine set his chin on Kagami's shoulder and commented, “We should study often if you're gonna cook like this for me. Saves me the effort.” Reaching around to steal some cucumber from a bowl, he became suddenly aware of how easy this felt. It felt just like his dream, the lazy comfort of it. It then dawned on him how close his face was to Kagami's and he quickly took a step back to lean on the opposite counter while throwing the food in his mouth.

This was the third time Aomine had flashes of that dream. He usually didn't remember his dreams, but this one was incredibly persistent in his memory. It was positively affecting his mood when it came to mind and it made him feel too comfortable around Kagami. He was beginning to feel weird.

“Maybe. I like cooking,” Kagami responded without thought before realizing what Aomine did and scolding him. “And be patient Ahomine, I told you it's almost done.”

Aomine's stomach grumbled and he stepped out of the kitchen to sit at the table. A few minutes later, Kagami came out laden with bowls and plates. Impressed by his ability to balance everything, Aomine watched as he set everything down then sat himself down. Aomine said thanks for the food and took a bite of salmon.

The flavor of the salmon and the taste of the marinade it was cooked in spread across Aomine's tongue and even though it was a common dish, he thought it was one of the most delicious things he had eaten in quite a while. Having the knowledge that Kagami cooked well and tasting that proof were two completely different things and Aomine had no idea when was the last time he had a proper meal. Kagami was watching for his reaction.

“Hm,” Aomine started. “What's a guy gotta do to get meals like this from you?”

Kagami flushed and he opened his mouth as if he were going to say something before closing it back up and mumbling, “So you like it.”

Grabbing some vegetables with his chopsticks, Aomine responded, “S’okay,” and grinned. _You're okay too_ , he thought as he chewed. He and Kagami were rivals and they tended to get into competitions and arguments all the time, mostly over trivial things. But they had spent the better part of the day together and they actually got along. Aomine found that he kind of enjoyed spending time with Kagami. He got a kick out of seeing him furrow his brows to concentrate and work hard at something. He thought it was funny how genuinely happy Kagami got when he got a problem right and Aomine would toss him a burger. He liked seeing Kagami’s smile. _Wait, what?_

Fingers snapped in front of Aomine's face. “Hey, you've been zoning for a while, your food’s gonna get cold.”

Aomine rapidly blinked to bring himself out of his thoughts. “How are you still eating? You had fifteen burgers.” He didn't want Kagami asking what was occupying his thoughts.

“Oh those? They're not that filling, that's why I usually get more.” Kagami shrugged, “I like eating.”

Aomine gave a low chuckle. “Plenty of people like eating, but hardly any of them think lightly of that many burgers.”

“So what?” Kagami responded, taking another bite.

“Yeah, so what,” Aomine agreed. He quite liked spending time with Kagami, especially if it included a dinner like this one. It wasn't something he wanted to admit out loud to him or anyone.

They finished their meal with light banter and before they knew it, the day had stretched deep into the night.

“I'm tired, it's time for me to go,” Aomine yawned.

“Ah, okay. I kept you for too long.” Kagami glanced at his watch and handed Aomine his bag before heading to the door.

Aomine passed by and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck with your work, we’ll study again next weekend. And don't forget we have a game this week.”

“Make sure you don't sleep through this one, because coach will kill you for sure if you do it again.” Kagami laughed and Aomine was sure he was thinking of how purple their coach got when he yelled at Aomine. But it only happened one time and Kagami had made sure they won that particular game so Aomine wasn't too bothered to have missed it.

He waved the statement away. “Yeah, yeah. See you around.” He raised a hand as he walked off.

His walk back home felt nice. They had been inside studying for most of the day and he hadn't realized how restless he felt until his legs were moving.

The two of them didn't have any classes together this semester so the next time he would see Kagami was at practice or at the game they would have against a rival university. Much to the dismay of his coach, he didn't always make it to practice but he thought he'd make more of an effort to make it to the one this week.

 _Look at that,_ Aomine thought. _I'm actually gonna try to go to practice._


	3. Distracted Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine's head is filled with thoughts of Kagami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! I just moved and I'm finally all settled in after nearly a month of complications :) I start my graduate program soon though. also don't forget I have a tumblr :o come yell about knb and aokaga with me @ [kichouken](http://kichouken.tumblr.com). anyway, enjoy!

The words of praise falling out of his coach’s mouth were starting to get on Aomine’s nerves. There were only so many times he could take hearing about how the coach was happy that Aomine was _finally_ at practice and that the team was so much better when he was _actually_ around. The comments honestly felt kind of backhanded, which added to his irritation.

It’s not that Aomine didn’t like being at practice, because he definitely enjoyed playing basketball at every opportunity, but he also didn’t like expending too much energy. He napped frequently after classes which meant that more often than not he would sleep through practices. It didn’t help that his reputation as a basketball player followed him from high school to his university because most of his teammates were in awe of his skill. He was annoyed that people looked up to him enough that they sometimes let it interfere with their practices and it took so much effort to try to ignore the pointing, the open-mouthed stares, the whispering...

So he avoided it, and sleeping was a good way to do that.

His team managed just fine without him and he didn’t miss any games. Except for the one, but Aomine had truly meant to go, he just didn’t wake up on time.

During that fateful Winter’s Cup nearly five years ago, he had acknowledged Kagami’s skill on the court but that didn’t mean that he liked the redhead back then. He found him quite simple and he thought the other boy’s head was filled with nothing but basketball and food. While those things were certainly on his own mind too, there were other things that he thought about back then. Boobs, his future, his workload, boobs, the latest magazine Mai-chan was in, his friends, boobs… There were plenty of things that occupied his mind.

Over the past month, he had been meeting with Kagami a couple times a week to help him with his school work. He had repeated himself countless times when Kagami was confused about a concept and he had even looked over Kagami’s atrocious essays. Kagami wasn’t one to repeatedly ask for help, so even though he had (drunkenly) initiated these study sessions, he didn’t always further question Aomine. But by this point, Aomine was familiar with his mannerisms and facial expressions and he could tell when the other was confused. He found himself spending more time on Kagami’s homework than his own, but he didn’t really care because, well. He wasn’t sure why. It probably had to do with the fact that Kagami had cooked delicious meals for him at least half a dozen times. The food alone made it worth it, probably.

Nowadays his thoughts were filled with basketball, Kagami's homework, his own homework, boobs, Kagami’s food, his friends, Kagami, among some other things. He was finding that Kagami was starting to take up a lot of room in his head.

So here he was at his ninth practice in a row, trying to ignore his coach’s remarks and not to overwhelm his teammates. Most of his teammates, that is.

Since high school, he knew that he could go all out against Kagami and that Kagami would always rise up to the challenge. This had been the case even in college, although he still didn’t care much for Kagami outside the court. He had never spent a significant amount of time with him before this month and he was starting to wonder why he hadn’t bothered to before. He felt warm when he was around Kagami. Although the redhead frequently missed some social cues with other people, he felt that Kagami could tell when something was off with him. There was something about the way that Kagami treated him that made him feel good and want to spend more time with him. He found himself cracking stupid jokes around Kagami just to hear his dumb laugh and see that brilliant smile of his.

“Oi! That pass was awful! Where were you looking??” an angry voice quickly broke him free from his thoughts.

“Hah?” Aomine stilled his feet and looked around. He had intended to pass to his teammate, Kobayashi, but the ball had gone almost a meter to the left of the guy and Kobayashi hadn’t reacted in time to catch it.

Kobayashi jogged to where the ball had rolled to and threw it back in.

_Damn it, how could I have missed such an easy pass?_ This thought removed his attention from the game momentarily again and when he caught the ball, he fumbled before steadying himself.

What was wrong with him?

His eyes shot to another of his teammates, but he was much more familiar with the one that filled his vision. He and Kagami were on different teams for this mock match. Because he was so accustomed to Kagami’s style, he knew he had to be careful. In his distracted state, Kagami might be able to easily take the ball.

He had to bring his attention back to the game. He let out a careful breath and focused on Kagami to analyze the possible plays he could make. If he faked to the right, would Kagami react quickly enough? He probably would, so he could pass to someone else and Kobayashi was open. Or he could-

Get the ball swiped from him.

“Nice!” Kagami yelled out. The snatched ball was passed to Kagami who had broken away from Aomine immediately after the steal. While Aomine stared at the redhead's back and stood dumbfounded for a second, Kagami was able to sprint halfway to the net. Quickly shaking his head and breaking into a run, he chased after the other to try to get it back. Kagami was already in the air to dunk as Aomine shot up next to him.

He couldn’t reach the ball in time and Kagami slammed the ball through hoop to make the winning point. It had always been like this: when Aomine and Kagami were on different teams, their scores were always so close it was a mystery as to who would win. Today’s mystery had been solved and it was Kagami with his part of the team who were the victors.

Aomine wiped the sweat off his face with the collar of his shirt and walked to the bench to drink from his water bottle. Though his back was to the court, he sensed someone approaching him.

“Yo Ahomine! I want to say ‘nice game’ but you weren't into it today. You underestimating me?”

Turning his head to look at Kagami, he shrugged and responded, “Nah. Just a lot on my mind, s’all.”

Kagami lowered his voice. “Am I taking too much of your time?” His eyebrows furrowed together in immediate worry. “I know it takes me a while to get things so I'm probably making you spend too much time on me, we can meet less often.”

“Hah?” He turned completely around now and faced Kagami head on. He didn't like what he was hearing. Being the great and wonderful person that he was, he had said he would help Kagami so he wasn’t going to back away from that now. Because they were friends.

Because they were friends? When did Aomine start considering Kagami a friend?

“I don’t remember saying that’s what needed to happen, baka.”

He just didn't want to miss out on new meals, right? Kagami had recently taken to looking for new recipes online to try them out for Aomine and the food tasted fantastic every time. Yeah, he was definitely in it for the food and nothing else. Friends make food for each other and he couldn’t miss out on his friend’s cooking.

“Oh, okay.” Stretching his arm to scratch the back of his neck, Kagami’s face didn’t relax from its worried expression. “Um, a-anything you wanna talk about?”

There was no way he could say _I wasn’t good today because I was thinking about my friend, which is you. So we're friends_ without it sounding weird, so no, he didn’t want to talk about it with Kagami. But he realized that Kagami also thought of him as a friend because even though Kagami looked and probably felt awkward, he still wanted to make sure that Aomine was alright. It made him feel as if he had just downed an entire bottle of soda and the bubbles were fizzing in his stomach.

He turned around to grab his bag sitting on the bench as he said, “Just thinking about someone.” He walked off toward the locker room, not giving Kagami a chance to respond. He didn’t want Kagami to press further.

* * *

“Dai-chan!”

He was leaning against a wall, legs crossed at the ankle and hands stuffed in his pockets, when he heard a shrill voice calling his name out. A pink head bobbed through the crowd, closely followed by a light blue one.

“Dai-chan!” Satsuki called out again when she finally reached him and grabbed his hand to pull him away from the wall. “You look so bored! Let’s get going!”

“Yo, Tetsu,” Aomine managed to say before Satsuki started rambling.

“How is everything going? Are you managing your classes alright? You know, I wanted to go to the same university as you to make sure you would be okay but they didn’t offer the major I wanted and I still feel bad but I can’t make everything about you and you have to learn to take of yourself at some point.” She paused for a moment and looked him over. “What’s wrong?”

Tetsu was holding a milkshake in one hand and holding Satsuki’s hand with the other while staring intently at him. “I, too, can sense something is different.”

Aomine had no idea what he was thinking by accepting to hang out with the two of the most astute people he knew. He hadn’t seen Tetsu and Satsuki for a while now, so when Tetsu invited him to go shopping, he had ditched Kagami’s study session to see his long-time friends. He figured that if he spent some time away from Kagami, the presence in his thoughts would diminish.

“Weren’t we going shopping? I need new clothes.” Aomine figured that there was no way he would be able to get a lie past the two of them and he didn’t want to talk about his new friendship with Kagami (or how much time he spent thinking about it), so diversion was the best tactic. On their own, Satsuki and Tetsu had incredible analytical prowess, but together that talent grew exponentially. Absolutely nothing could get past them.

Aomine was just realizing how dumb he could be.

With a quick glance between the two of them, it seemed that they wordlessly agreed on something and neither of them pushed the matter further. Instead, Satsuki hooked her arm with Aomine’s and started leading him toward a store with Tetsu trailing behind them.

It had always been like this. Satsuki knew Aomine like the back of her hand and whenever he needed anything, she was always there for him, regardless of how much of a dick he could be to her, especially as a teenager. It didn’t matter if it was a huge thing, like talking about his future, or something small, like picking out a shirt, because Satsuki lended her strength to him no matter what. She was incredibly important to him and even though it was difficult for him to say those words out loud, he was sure that he had been able to express those feelings throughout the years. There were a thousand reasons why Aomine was grateful for Satsuki.

Today he was grateful for her because he didn’t need to do much thinking when it came to picking out clothes. She knew exactly what to pick so that he actually liked it and so that it looked flattering on him. Chattering about Tetsu and school, she continued to lead them all to a shop down the street.

They entered and Satsuki immediately started rifling through the racks while Kuroko leisurely looked around at the clothing.

“How are classes going for Kagami-kun?” Tetsu asked suddenly.

Aomine’s eyes widened for half a second. Right now, he hated how sharp Tetsu was. “You could ask him, we don’t have any classes together.” Aomine feigned a yawn, hoping to convince Tetsu of his supposed disinterest.

“While that is true, he mentioned to me that you two were spending time together.” Tetsu reached around Aomine and grabbed a t-shirt to show Satsuki, “What about this one?”

She turned to eye the shirt. “Hm,” she was thoughtful for a moment. “The neck looks wide enough so it’ll be comfortable.” She held the shirt against Aomine’s torso.

“Oh. Yeah. He asked me for help studying, said he was failing a class because you were busy.” He tensed under their watchful eyes.

“It doesn’t look too long or too short. And the color is good too. We’ll take it,” Satsuki handed the shirt back to Tetsu for him to hold so that she could continue looking for more.

“I did apologize to him for that.” Tetsu took a noisy slurp through the straw in his drink. “But it seems you two are working well together. At least that’s what he told me.”

“What do you mean?” Aomine swiveled his head to look at the shorter boy. He told himself that he wanted to distance himself from Kagami today but it seemed that his friends had other plans in mind. If Aomine hadn’t had such a nostalgic dream, he probably wouldn’t have been in this mess. Could one even be nostalgic for something they hadn’t experienced? How could something that didn’t even happen affect his mood and decisions like they had? And why could he still remember that dream perfectly even though it happened weeks ago?

This was supposed to be an easy, Kagami-free day where he shopped with his two best friends.

“He just told me that you’re helpful.” Tetsu didn’t provide much detail and Aomine didn’t want to show that he cared enough to want to know more. He didn’t want to, but his tongue didn’t listen to his brain because his mouth formed words before he realized it.

“That’s it?”

“You want to know what else he said?” Satsuki was still rifling through the racks and Tetsu was holding a few more shirts by now. He hoped they weren’t expensive.

His mouth had already decided to betray him so he rolled his eyes at himself and just went with it. Aomine didn’t refuse the question and he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets again while considering taking it off. It was cold outside, but it felt like the heater in the store might be on.

“Hm.” Tetsu paused to assess Aomine’s words and actions. He must have taken Aomine’s surly silence affirmatively because he continued to quietly speak. “Kagami-kun seems happy. He’s struggling with his work, he always does, but he’s thankful that you help him. And he says that studying is kind of fun. Which is odd because I know he hates studying. It must be because of you.”

The heat in the store was definitely on. He felt warm and his ears were hot. “Oh,” was all he could say. He felt Satsuki’s eyes boring into his back.

“I like how you are when you’re with him, Dai-chan. You always smile when you play basketball with him and I like seeing you happy,” Satsuki gently murmured.

Aomine’s eyebrows twitched. Kagami made him happy? His head was starting to hurt and he didn’t want to think about this anymore. “Oi, Satsuki. These better not be expensive, I don’t have that much money to spend here.”

Satsuki and Tetsu shared another fleeting glance in which it seemed like they held an entire conversation. She gave Aomine a soft smile. “I know that! Don’t worry, Dai-chan, I’m looking at prices, too.”

* * *

After a long day of shopping, they ended their day with dinner at a ramen shop. Both Tetsu and Satsuki had brought up Kagami a weird number of times throughout the day and Aomine was annoyed that he couldn’t rid himself of the redhead even when that was his intention. He was glad to be back home. Dropping the shopping bags in the entrance and leaving them there for his future self to deal with, he kicked off his shoes to head to his bedroom. He got ready for bed and buried himself in his sheets.

He was tired.

They had spent hours going from shop to shop because Satsuki was being picky with her choices. Aomine didn’t care too much, but he knew that he would be happy with whatever she picked out for him. She knew him that well.

But he was also tired because, try as he might, his mind kept wandering over to Kagami. It didn’t help that he was brought up so much in conversation today either. He had enjoyed spending time with his friends, but he was starting to feel regret for ditching Kagami today to go shopping. He should have invited him to come along.

There was no use in thinking about that missed opportunity so he tried to fall asleep. His eyes were droopy and his blinks were heavy. His mind’s eye brought up the image of a person resting peacefully against him. That dream wouldn’t go away. But since it was such a tranquil dream, he let the feeling from before wash through him.

He felt comfortable and sleepy. That person was breathing evenly and those calm breaths tickled his neck while short red hair tickled his cheek as their body rose and fell with each inhale and exhale. He remembered running his hand through that hair and he thought he would try it again. Soft strands of red were between his fingers and he felt like he could live in this moment. Turning his face, he tenderly kissed the forehead by his chin and the person next to him stirred to look up at him. Aomine’s lips formed a lazy smile as he saw the drowsiness on Kagami’s face.

Aomine’s eyes sprang open and he roughly sat up. His sleepy mind had conjured up more to continue his dream. His sleepy mind had inserted an actual person into it. An actual person who was _Kagami_. But he felt so blissful in that dream and in the continuation of it, was it because of Kagami?

He thought about the kiss his dream self gave the redhead and his fingers ghosted over his lips. It was nice and he wanted to do it again. Was he still sleepy and that’s why he thought that? No, he was completely awake now. Those thoughts were completely honest and unaffected by sleep.

_He wanted to kiss Kagami’s forehead again._

Suddenly things were making sense. Of course this is why he enjoyed spending so much time with him lately. Of course this is why he couldn’t concentrate properly during practice the other day. Of course Satsuki and Tetsu could see it immediately.

Oh. More things were making sense. That’s why they kept bringing him up today. He knew that Satsuki and Tetsu were freakishly observant, but had Aomine been that transparent without even realizing anything himself?

It’s been almost five years since Kagami beat him at basketball for the first time and it’s been almost five years since Kagami brought back his passion for basketball. It’s been a year and a half since they’ve been on the same team and it’s been a year and a half that Kagami has pushed Aomine farther than he thought he could possibly go during practices and games. It’s been a month and a half since Kagami called him then drunkenly asked for help and it’s been a month and half since Aomine started smiling more.

He was stupid not to have made connections before. It all seemed so clear now. He flopped back onto his bed with his arms spread as he stared up at the ceiling with only one thought in his mind.

_I like Kagami_.


End file.
